Knitting machine



Jill 16, 1929.

wQw. B URSON KNITTING MACHINE Original Filed Feb.,l5. 192 e Sheets-Sheet 1 July l6, 1929. w.w. BURSQN 7 1,721,247

KNITTING MACHINE Original Filed Feb. 15. 1 2 6 Sheets-Sheet 2 July 16, 1929. w. w. BURSON 3 7.

KNITTING MACHINE Original Filed Feb. 15, 1922 gs s t 3 July 16, 1929. w, w, BURSQN 1,721,247

KNITTING MACHINE Original Filed Feb. 15 1922 6 Sheets-Sheet 4 W. W. BURSON KNITTING MACHINE July 16, 1929.

6 Sheets-Sheet 5 Original File d Feb. 15, 1922 July 16, 1929. w. w. BURSON 1,721,

KNITTING MACHINE Original Filed Feb. 15. 1922 6 Sheets-Sheet 6 Patented July 16, 1929.

sta n winson w. Bunsen, or ROCKFORD, ILLINOIS.

KNITTING- MACHINE.

Original application filed February 15, 1922, Serial No. 536,652. Divided and this application filed July 17,

This invention relates'in general to knitting machines and while from many aspects it has more particular reference to the machines of the character shown in my earlier Patents, No. 911,911, granted December 21, 1909; 996,059, granted June 27,1911; 911,012, granted December 21, 1909; 1,531,272, granted March 31, 1925; 1,025,182, granted May 7, 1912; 1,172,761, granted February 22, 1916; and 1,201,691, granted October 17, 1916, it will be readily understood that the invention has other and valuable use in machines of other character.

This is a division of my co-pending application, Serial No. 5? 6,652, filed February 15, 1922, and has particular reference to a means or device to hold a yarn that extends from the work out of the way while a substitute yarn is being used. I

An important object of the invention is the provision of a knitting machine particularly adapted for the knitting of hosiery and which may be relied upon to automatically produce a stocking having a lisle toe, sole and heel, and a silk instep and body or top, and to provide such a machine for holding a yarn that extends from the knitted garment out of the way of the needles or knitting parts while another yarn is being used, and such a device t ia-t will hold the yarn at any one of a plurality of points located along the needle bed so that the yarn may be held out of the way of the needles while knitting different parts of the stocking, such as, in knitting the split foot the lisle material will extend a c 'tain distance along the needle bed and terminate at a predetermined point, and while knitting the heel and the portion oi? the body of the stocking immediately above the heel the lisle or other yarn will extend along the needle bed to one or more different predetermined points.

Another important object is to provide such a device that will be automatic and certain in its operation.

Numerous other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent as it is better understood from the following description,

which, taken in connection with the accom-' panying drawings, discloses a preferred embodiment thereof.

Referring to the drawings; Figure 1 is a side elevation of a knitting machine embodying my present invention;

- knitting.

Serial No. 123,071.

1* 1g. 2 is a plan view of the device shown in Fig. 1; V

Fig. 3 is an enlarged partial plan view at the end of each knitting stroke and after a shifting of the yarn carrier has taken place;

Figs. 7 and 8 are sections taken substantially on lines 7-7 and S-S respectively in Figs. 5 and 6;

Figs. 9, 10 and 11 are diagrammatic views showing the yarn holding devices in the sev- 'eral positions assumed during the knitting of a garment;

Fig. 12 is a detailed view illustrating a preferred means of connecting the yarn holding hook to the bracket,

Fig. 13 is an enlarged diagrammatic view showing the texture of knitted fabric and the preferred form of joining the knitted material intermediate the ends of the needle bed; i v I Figs. 14: and 15 are diagrammatic views illustrating the preferred method of progressively knitting two halves of a garment using two yarns offdi'lferent colors or of different qualities; and

Fig. 16 is a diagrannnatic view. showing the progressive courses required to produce the fabric shown in Fig. 13.

For the purpose of illustrating my inven tion I have shown in the drawings a completely organized knitting machine in which all of the several features are embodied. This machine is provided with two needle beds, each carrying a set of needles, arranged in inclined positions, in parallel relation and sutiiciently close together to permit the knitting to occur continuously up along one side and then back along the other, to form an article (such as a stocking) without a seam and which may be shaped as may be desired by varying the number of needles actually The thread in a thread-carrier is reciprocated back and forth over the needle beds in position to be engaged by the needles, the needles being projected by pattern mechanism into knitting position, slightly in advance of the forward movement of the thread-carrier, and returned immediately after the passing of the threadcarrier with yarn to be carried through a previously formed loop, which upon the casting oif of this previously formed loop forms a new loop retained in the needle.

This machine comprises a frame 51 of any suitable or preferred construction having a base 52 adapted to rest on the floor, and an upper portion 58 carrying the operative parts. A power shaft 5 1 is mounted in suitable bearings in the upper frame portions 53 which is or may be provided with fixed and idle pulleys 56 and 57, the former of which is suitably attached to deliver power to the machine. Any suitable pinion may be mounted on the shaft 54 to mesh with a gear 59 upon a shaft 61' carried in suitable bearings on the frame. The shaft 61 controls and produces, through various instru mentalities, most of the actions of the knitting parts with the exception of the knitting movement of the yarn carrier, the movement of the knitting cams, and the setting of the loop-length-determining devices.

By referring to the drawings it will be noted that the gear 59 is in effect a crank disk, being connected at 81 with a connecting rod 82 that is in turn connected with a lever 83 fulcrumed at its lower end 84 to a link 85 pivoted at 85 to the base 52 and connected at its upper end at 87 with a cross-head 88 which reciprocates the thread carrier and the cam bars also, as disclosed more fully in my earlier patents mentioned. It is to be noted that the mechanism operating the cross-head 88 is fixed and that the cross-head reciprocates continuously throughout a predetermined and definite travel.

My machine includes, among other features of novelty, an entirely automatic c011- trol of themovement of pattern members 76 and of a container 91 for the thread carriers, for varying the thread used from silk to lisle, etc.). This control is adapted to progressively advance the pattern members to vary the particularly needles projected, to hold said pattern members stationary so that the same needles will be projected on knitting stroke after knitting stroke and to impart to said pattern members alternate forward and reverse movements to present, in any desired sequence, portions of the pattern members to the needle jack levers.

The machine.contemplates also automatic substitutions of yarn at different periods of knitting, and the control of the yarn substitution is arranged to cooperate with the control of the knitting patterns. Three yarn carriers for substitution are provided. These are indicated by reference character 94: and they are all supported normally in the container 91 (Figs. 1, 2, 3, 5 and 6) mounted to reciprocate in guides 92 and 93 in the container 91 arranged at the end of the thread or yarn carrier travel in knitting. Each thread Carrier is provided with an upturned lip 340 with which a reciprocating engager 343 will be engaged (Fig. 2), the reciprocating engager being secured to the cross-head 88. The engagement permits of the lateral sliding of the lip 340 across the engager at the container 91 so that to change the yarn it is only necessary to move the container across the machine to substitute carriers, the carrier container 91 being connected by a link 96 with a lever 97 in turn connected by a link 98 with a lever 99 which may be moved to the right or left of a common point by a gate wheel 101, which fully described in my c0- pending application, Serial No. 536,652, filed February 15, 1922.

Gate wheels or similar devicesare provided for the control and actuation of pattern members 76, several of which may be used in the machine. The gate wheel or substitute mechanism is or may be arranged to hold the pattern members in stationary position or cause them to rotate in one direction or the other substantially at the time of the reversal of movement of the cross-head and cooperating devices so that a change of pattern may be had at either or both ends of the machine. The pattern members 76 are or may be drum-shaped with active pattern parts upon their surfaces. Under the action of a suitable gate wheel and control the pattern members 7 6 are first moved in one direction and then back in the opposite direction in accordance with the arrangement of the control, that is, the pattern members under the control may be turned in one direction to present successive pattern parts to the needle jack levers, and be turned in the opposite direction to knit under the influence of a previously used pattern arrangement. The pattern members may stand still for a part of the time or while a particular pattern arrangement is desired throughout a plurality of successive knitting strokes.

The action of the pattern members 76 is to cause needles to 'be projected by a suitable knitting cam carried by a cam bar 227 by any suitable means.

From any suitable yarn feed and control members yarn extends directly into yarn carriers 94, each of which constitutes a slide movable in guides 95, the guideways of the container 91 forming a part thereof when in register. From this container a particular yarn carrier is engaged by the yarn carrier engager 843 connected by connecting rod 344 with a cross head 88, the yarn carriers being engaged by the yarn carrier engager as they are presented in registration with the guides and they are reciproca-ted until changed by the yarn changing mechanism. At the end of each forward reciprocation or a reciprocation to theright (Fig. 2), the

yarn carrier enters the presented empty gnideways in the container 91. lVhen the yarn carrier has been thus positioned the container is or may be shifted to present a different yarn carrier for the next knitting action and to substitute yarn. I

The present embodiment of my invention is arranged to knit stockings having what is commonly termed lisle toe and heel, and a split foot, that is, the lower portion-of the foot. being lisle and the upper portion of the foot being silk or other material, and a top or body of silk or other material. In order to knit the split foot or the part where the sole is of one material and the top of another, it is necessary or advantageous to progressively knit the two halves or sole and top, and simultaneously join them together. The portion of the stocking immediately above the heel is similarly knit, except that the same kind of yarn is used on both halves, the one on the back of the stocking being heavier than the one on the front, on account of the wear at this point. To accomplish this I have arranged the machine to begin knitting at an end of the needle bed, as indicated at A, (Fig. 14) and knit to a point B, which may be any point intermediate the ends of the needle bed, then back to A, crossing to the opposite side of the bed to C, and knitting to D, and then knitting back to C. This may represent either the top or the bottom half of a stocking. The yarn used for this knitting is then thrown out of action and another yarn is substituted therefor with which knitting is commenced at B, as shown (Fig. 15). This yarn is knitted to E, crossing to the other side of the bed to F, then to D, then returning to F, crossing back to the original side of the bed, then to B and out. If both of the yarns be continuously knit, it will be noted that the knitting will be connected at C and A, so as to form onehalf of a stocking, since the same yarn that passed out at C re-enters at A. Likewise the yarn that. is used for the opposite half of the stocking returns again at B and repeats to form the other half of the stocking. If the points B and D represent one or more needles, there will be an overlapping of yarn at each course of knitting and a prominent seam will be formed at the joint. If the points B and I) represent a position between two needles, there will be no connection between the two halves. I prefer to arrange the machine so as to overlap on one course of knitting and not to connect on the neXt, so that the joint will be formed by alternate overlapping and open courses, as illustrated (Figs. 13 and 16) and as will be later described. .This is accomplished by manipulation of suitable pawls and the pattern member 7 6 to control the position of the needles so that the knitting will be accomplished as above mentioned.

lVhile I have shown latch needles on the drawings, it will be understood, that spring barb or other needles may be employed in the knitting machine and any suitable device or devices may be provided for applying yarn tension or for shedding ofi" the old loops to ef- 1 feet knitting. The needles are projected in the usual manner to receive yarn and retracted to cast off the old loop and form a new loop. In the present instance guides or plates 352 are suitably secured to the needle bed. These plates are arranged with slots for reciprocating slides 354, one of which is or may be ar ranged between each pair of needles, and is formed at its forward end to provide a recess 355 for engaging the cast oif yarn, and suitable means is provided to actuate these slides so that they will engage the yarn at the proper time and move downwardly therewith to apply the desired knitting tension.

lvleans are provided in this apparatus forholding a yarn connected with the knitted garment out of the way while another yarn carrier is supplying the material being knit. This means comprises a wire hook 445 (Figs. 3 and 4) carried on a slide 446. The hook 445 may be suitably secured to the slide 446 by means of any suitable clamp 447 or the like, the clamp 447 being secured to the slide by means of a screw 446, and the body of the hook is preferably bent to embrace a screw 447 and secured against the top surfaceof the clamp by the screw substantially asshown in Fig. 12. The slide 446 is mounted in a guide member 448 secured to the under side of guide plate 352 and at the lefthand end thereof (viewing Fig. 1). Slide 446 is bent down at its forward end at 449 and provided with at least one pin 451. A spring 452 fast to the block 448 at one end and to a hook 453 on the slide at the other tends to retract the slide as may be observed in Figs. 4, 9, 10 and 11. A lower 454 is pivoted upon. a rod 226 having bearing in the frame 53 and is adapted for engagement with the pin 451 or with the slide it self, or to permit both to pass upon occasion. The opposite end of this lever is bent over at 455 to rest upon a lever 376 also pivoted on the rod 226 and actuated by a cam disc 372 the periphery of which is cut away as at 373 to hold the levers 376 and 454 in either of two or more positions. A spring 454 suitably attached to the frame 53 and to the lever 454 holds the lever 454 against or in contact with the lever 376. The end of the slide 446 projects within the Zone of movement of and is engaged at each reciprocation by a part of the reciprocating crosshead 88, thus moving the slide and the hook member a predetermined distance at each stroke of the crosshead 88 (see dotted line position Fig. 11).

The slide 446 and hook 445 normally rest in the position shown 9), the clamp 447 being arranged to extend into the path of movement of the cross-head 88 so that at each reciprocation the cross-head will move the slide and hook to the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 11. In this position the hooked end of the hook 445 extends out at the end of the needle bed into the position shown in Figs. 5 and 6. At the same time that the hook is in this position it will be noted that the yarn carrier 94 in use is projected into the yarn carrier retainer, as shown (Figs. 5 and 7). It at this time it is desired to change the yarn, the yarn carrier retainer is shifted to present a new yarn carrier for knitting and to move the previously used yarn carrier into the position shown at the bottom of llig. 6, and to the left in Fig. 8. Vhcn the yarn carrier with the thread attached to the garment intermediate the ends of the needle bed is shifted to the position shown in Figs. 6 and 8, the yarn is drawn across the hook, as illustrated, or from the position shown in Fig. 7 to the position shown in Fig. 8, so that when the hook is retracted the yarn will be caught by the end thereof as shown (Fig. Vhen the crosshead starts on the next stroke, the hook and yarn carrier simultaneously follow the crosshead in substantially the relative position shown in Fig. 5, until the hook is blocked by the lever 454, while the device may be arranged to hold the yarn at any desired point or number of points intermediate the ends of the needle bed by adding more pins 451 of various length and changing the periphcry of the disc 872, by which the lever 454 is actuated. In the present instance I have shown the device arranged to block the hook and consequently hold the yarn in three positions, one of these positions being a point substantially at the center of the bed, as shown in solid lines (Fig. 9) another position, as shown (Fig. 10), which may be any desired position between that shown in Fig. 9 and the end of the bed; and the position shown in solid lines in Fig. 11, which is at the end of the bed or adjacent the needle. the position at which the hook will come to rest being determined by the position of the lever. 454. hen the slide is moved to the loft (Fig. 9) by the cross-head 88, the lever 454 is moved out of the way of the slide 446 when the slide engages the cam shaped end of the lever, as illustrated by the dotted line position (Fig. 9). It the disc 372 is arranged to permit the lever to return to the position shown in Fig. 11, upon the return of the slide 446 the lever 454 will engage the end of the pin 451 and arrest the movement of the slide at this point. If the lever 454 is so arranged as to miss the pin but to engage the bent end of the slide, movement of the slide will be arrested in the position shown (Fig. 10). lhe slide 446 is constantly urged toward the right (Fig. 9) by the spring 452. By this arrangement it is possible to hold a yarn not in use out of the way of or parallel to the needles at one or more points intermediate the ends of the needle bed, which is highly desirable when knitting the so-called split foot or other portions of. the stocking where substitutions of yarn, such as previously described in connection with Figs. 13 to 16 inclusive or the like, are required. In other words, after one series of needles has been used to knit certain courses and a yarn substitution takes place, the hook engages the yarn which is temporarily removed from the work and holds'it out of the way while a second yarn is fed to a second series of needles. It will be noted that in the present arrangement the hook is projectcd to release or receive the yarn once during each complete cycle of movement of the cross-heal 88, and that while the yarn is not constantly held in the position shown (Fig. that is, at right angles to the garment or parallel to the needles, it is always in such position whenever the needles at that point are operated, since the hook can only be moved by the cross-head after the yarn carrier and needle cams have passed this point.

is thought that the invention and many of its attendant advantages will beunderstood from the foregoing description, and it will beapparent that various changes may be made in the form, construction and arrangementof the parts without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention or sacriticing all of its material advantages, the form hercinbetore described being merely a preferred embodiment thereof.

1 claim: 1

1. In a knitting machine having two opposing needle banks, a yarn guide magazine adapted to contain a number of yarn guides for separate and alternate selection and for movement between said needle beds. the combination of active knitting mechanism, a plurality of yarn carriers, means for selecting a yarn carrier and for changing the selection. without disconnecting the yarn of a replaced carrier from the knitting work, and means reciprocally automatically operable tor holding the yarn between said replaced carrier and the work out of the range of action of the subsequently acting yarn.

2. In a knitting machine having two opposing needle banks, a yarn guide magazine adapted to contain a number of yarn guides for separate and alternate selection and for movement between said needle beds, the combination of active knitting mechanism, a plurality of yarn carriers, 163118 for selecting a yarn carrier and for changing the selection without disconnecting the yarn of a replaced carrier from the knitting work, and means reciprocally automatically operable for holding the yarn between said replaced carrier and the work out of theway of the needless in subsequent knitting action.

3. In a knitting machine having two opposing needle banks, a yarn guide magazine adapted to contain a number of yarn guides for separate and alternate selection and for movement between said needle beds, the combination of: active knitting mechanism, a plurality of yarn carriers, means for selecting a yarn carrier and for changing the selection without disconnecting the yarn of a replaced carrier from the knitting work, means reciprocally automatically operable for holding the yarn between said replaced carrier and the work out of the way of the needles in sub sequent knitting action, and means for reciprocating said yarn holding means to pick up the yarn at an exchange of yarn carriers.

4. In a knitting machine having two opposing needle banks, a yarn guide magazine adapted to contain a number of yarn guides for separate and alternate selection and for movement between said needle beds, the combination of activev knitting mechanism including a plurality of needles, a plurality of yarn carriers, means for substituting yarn carriers during knitting operation of the machine without disconnecting the yarn carried thereby from the work, and reciprocally automatically operable means for holding the yarn attached to the work intermediate the ends of the needle bed in alignment with and between needles during the use of a substitute yarn. v

5. In a knitting machine having two opposing needle banks, a yarn guide magazine adapted to contain a number of yarn'gnides for separate and alternate selection and for movement between said needle beds, the combination of active knitting mechanism including a plurality of needles, a plurality of yarn carriers, means for substituting yarn *arriers during knitting operation of the machine without disconnecting the yarn car-f ried thereby from the worlgancl reciprocally automatically operablemeans for holding the yarn out of the operative range of the needles at any of a plurality of points along the needle bed during the use of a substitute yarn.

6. In a knitting machine having two opposing needle banks, a yarn guide magazine adapted to contain a number of yarn guides for separate and alternate selection and for movement between said needle beds, the combination of active knitting mechanism in-' eluding a plurality of needles, a plurality of yarn carriers, means for substituting yarn carriers during knitting operation of the machine without disconnecting the yarn carried thereby from the work, means for holding the yarn not in use out of the range of the needles during the use of a substitute yarn, and

means for cont-rolling said last-mentioned means to hold the yarn at a plurality of points intermediate the ends of the needle bed.

7. In a knitting machine having twoopposing needle banks, a yarn guide magazine adapted to contain a number of yarn guides for separate and alternate selection and for movement between said needle beds, the combination of active knitting mechanism including a plurality of needles, a plurality of yarn carriers, means for substituting yarn carriers during knitting operation of the machine without disconneetingthe yarn car ried thereby from the work, means for holding the yarn not in use out of the range of the needles during the use of a substitute yarn, and devices for controlling said last-mentioned means to hold the yarn at a plurality of points intermediate the ends of the needle bed, said devices including a slide, a hook carried by said slide and arranged to automatically engage the yarn, and means for arresting movement of the slide upon'occasion.

8. In a knitting machine having two opposing needle banks,a yarn guide magazine adapted to contain a numberol yarn guides for separate and alternate selection andtor movement between said needle beds, the combination of active knitting mechanism including a plurality of needles, a pluralityof yarn carriers, means for substituting yarn carriers during knitting operation 01 the machine without disconnecting the yarn carried thereby from the work, means for holding the yarn not in use out of the range of the needles during the use of a substitute yarn, and devices for controlling said last-mentioned means to hold the yarn at a pluralityot points intermediate the ends of the needle bed, said devices including a slide arranged to engage a reciprocating part of a knitting machine to cause movement of the slide in one direction, a hook carried by said slide and arranged to engage the yarn, spring means for moving the slide in the other direction, and means for engaging the slide to restrict movement thereof by said spring means.

9. In a knitting machine having two oppos ing needle banks, a yarn guide magazine adapted to contain a number of yarn guides for separate and alternate selection and for movement between said needle beds, the combination of active knitting mechanism including a plurality of needles, a plurality of yarn carriers, means for substituting yarn carriers during knitting operation of the machine without disconnecting the yarn carried thereby from the Work, means for holding the yarn. not inuse out of the range of the needles dur ing the use of a substitute yarn, and devices for controlling said last-mentioned means to hold the yarn at a plurality of points in termediate the ends of the needle bed, said devices including a slide arranged to engage a reciprocating part of a knitting machine to cause movement ofthe slide in one direction, a hook carried by said slide and arranged to engage the yarn, spring means for movingthe slide in the other direction, and means for engaging the slide to prevent operation thereof by said spring means at any ot a I plurality of points.

during the use of a substitute yarn, and devices for controlling said last mentionec means to hold the yarn at a plurality of points intermediate the ends of the needle bed, said devices including a slide arranged to a reciprocating part of a knitting machine to cause movement of the slide in one direction, a hook carried by said slide and arranged to engage the yarn, spring means for moving; the slide in the other direction, and means for engaging the slide to prevent operation thereof by said spring means at any of a plurality of points, said last mentioned means being controlled by cam action. I

11. In a knitting machine having two opposing needle banks, a yarn guide magazine adapted to contain a number of yarn guides for separate and alternate selection and for movement between said needle beds, the combination of active knitting mechanism in eluding a plurality of needles, a plurality of yarn carriers, means for substituting); yarn carriers during knitting operation of the machine without disconnecting the yarn carried thereby from the work, means "for holding the yarn not in use out of the ran go of the needles during;- the use of a'substitute yarn, and devices tor controlling said last-mentioned means to hold the yarn at a plurality of points intermediate the ends of the needle bed, said devices including a slide, a device carried thereby for engaging the yarn, the slide being arranged for movement in one direct-ion by engaging a reciprocating part of the knitting machine and provided with s 'iring means for movement in the other direction, and a lever arranged to arrest the movement of said slide in one direction at any of a plurality of points.

12. In a knitting machine having two opposing needle banks, a yarn guide magazine adapted to contain a number of yarn guides for separate and alternate selection and for movement between said needle beds, the combination of active knitting mechanism including a plurality of needles, a plurality of yarn carriers, means for substituting; yarn carriers during knitting operation of the machine without disconnecting the yarn carried thereby from the work, means "for holding the yarn not in use out of the range of the needles during the use oil a substitute yarn, and de vices for controlling said last-mentioned means to hold the yarn at a plurality of points intermediate the ends of the needle bed, said devices includinga slide, a device carried thereby'lior engaging the yarn, the slide bearranged for movement in one direction by engaging a reciprocating part of the knitting machine and provided with spring means for movement in the other direction, and a lever arranged to arrest the movement of said slide in one direction at any of a plurality of points, said lever being provided with a cam portion permitting the slide to pass in one directionand being cam actuated to repose in any of a plurality of positions for arresting movement of the slide at predetermined positions.

13, In a knitting machine having two opposing needle banks, a yarn guide magazine adapted to contain a number of yarn guides for separate and alternate selection and for movement between said needle beds, the combination of knitting; mechanism, a plurality of yarn carriers, means for substituting yarn carriers during knitting; operation of the machine, needles, and reciprocating means for holding a yarn not in use out of the way of the needles, 7

14-. In a knitting machine havingtwo opposing needle banks, a yarn guide magazine adapted to contain a number of yarn guides :or separate and alternate selection and for movement between said needle beds, the combination of active knitting mechanism including needles, a plurality of yarn carriers, means tor substituting yarn ca riers, means including; cross head for reciprocatine any of the yarn carriers for knitting: individually the several yarns carried by the plurality of yarn carriers, and reciprocating means arranged for actuation by said cross-head and separately controlled for holding the yarn not in use out of the way of the needles.

15. In knitting machine having two 01- posing needle banks, a yarn guide magazine adapted to contain a number of yarn guides for separate and alternate selection and for movement between said needle beds, the combi nation of active knitting mechanism including needles, a plurality of yarn carriers, means tor substituting yarn carriers, means including a cross head for reciprocating any one 01": the yarn carriers for knitting" individually the several yarns carried by a plurality of yarn carriers and separately controlled reciprocating means arranged for actuation by said cross-head for holding the yarn not in use out of the way of the needles at any of a plurality of points.

ivitsou W. BURSON. 

